This invention pertains to the packaging of food products using thermoplastic films, and particularly, to overwrapping thermoplastic film around fat-containing meat products.
It is common practice to package food products, particularly meat products such as whole chicken and chicken parts, by placing the food product in a tray such as a polystyrene tray, overwrapping the trayed food product with a thermoplastic film, overlapping the edges of the film along the bottom of the tray, and sealing the overlapped edges. A sealing apparatus such as a sealer/cooler is typically used to seal the overwrapped film and then cool the packaged product prior to further processing.
In order to ensure an adequate seal in the overlapped areas of the film, at the bottom of the tray, the overwrapped, trayed product is pressed down against the conveyor belt under which the heat sealing means is disposed. Pressure is applied by, for example, an overhead belt, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,238, and typically brings the pressing means in contact with the top surface of the thermoplastic film.
When packaging fat-containing meat products such as pork chops, whole chicken, chicken parts, and similar fat-containing products, the downward pressure exerted on the package during the sealing cycle often results in smearing of fat on the interior surface of the thermoplastic film. The packages produced by this process are often retail packages which will be presented to the consumer without further repackaging. In the event of fat-smearing on the film, an aesthetically inferior package results. This can result in lost sales and reduced consumer demand if the problem is not corrected.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved food package and method for making such a package wherein the fat-smearing problem related to fat-containing food products is substantially reduced or eliminated.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a food package and method for making same wherein smearing of fat from a fat-containing food product on a thermoplastic overwrapped film during the sealing step is substantially reduced or eliminated, without substantially reducing the quality of the heat seal formed in the sealing step.